Greeeeeen acres is the place for me!

This is what I came home to the other day. There was a similar note by the kitchen sink, warning us not to drink the water either.

No, we do not live on a farm, but yes, we do have well water. Well water is the price you pay for the tranquility of living in the country.

Have you ever wondered why giant parts of the Town of New Scotland are sparsely populated? It is a short commute to Albany, without the traffic you would face if you lived in Clifton Park.

Clifton Park has water. New Scotland does not.

Life with a well:

– When you lose power, you lose your well pump. You will have about two flushes per toilet when the power goes out. If you live on a street with very few homes, you are on the bottom of the list for repairs. Use those flushes sparingly!

– If you have a dry summer, your well will go dry. If it goes dry, and your pump keeps trying to bring in water, your pump will burn out. If you lose the prime in your pump, your pump will also burn out.

– If you go dry, you can call the Water Wagon, a tanker truck that will deliver water to your well. The colloidal clay in our well, while staining our white clothes, actually helps keep the water delivery in the well. Without the clay, your water may well seep out into the low water table.

– If you have a wet few weeks, you will have abundant water, and will want to wash clothes with reckless abandon. But wait! If you have a well for your water, you probably also have septic for waste water. A rainy season, like last fall, will mean your septic system will not perc. You can wash clothes and take long showers, but you cannot wash clothes or take long showers.

– If you try to catch rain from your gutters, and have them shoot into your well, you are leaving your well just a bit uncovered.

– If you leave your well just a bit uncovered, you may find nature floating in your well.

That was our story. A rabbit took the plunge into our well, which eventually contaminated the water. To clean a well, you put bleach in it, after retrieving the bloated animal of course.

We are back to taking showers and using tap water to brush our teeth. We do all carry a vague smell of chlorine with us however.